The Money Pit (1986)

Money Pit (American) is a 1986 film comedy remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House starring Tom Hanks as Walter Fielding Jr., an entertainment industry lawyer and Shelley Long as Anna Crowley, a violinist who recently divorced her husband, Max Beissart, played by Alexander Godunov. Max happens to be the conductor of the symphony in which Anna plays.

The story begins with Walter and Anna being evicted from their apartment--the apartment actually belongs to Anna's ex-husband, who has returned unexpectedly early from a tour abroad. Walter borrows $200,000 to buy a million dollar distress-sale mansion from Estelle, a con artist played by Maureen Stapleton, who claims she is forced to sell the house quickly because her husband has been arrested by the Israelis, having been accused of being Adolf Hitler's pool boy.

From the instant they take possession of the house, it quickly falls apart. Among other things, the entire front door frame rips out of the wall, the main staircase collapses, the plumbing is found to be full of gunk, the electrical system catches fire, the bathtub crashes through the floor, the chimney collapses, and a raccoon has invaded the dumbwaiter. Walter calls the house the "money pit".

Contractors are called, work permits issued, and the job is originally estimated to take two weeks. The estimate of two weeks is a running gag throughout the movie. When asked how long something should take, the answer is always "two weeks". The repair work ends up taking four months.

As their troubles mount, Walter and Anna's relationship nearly comes to an end. In the end, they are married in front of the beautifully repaired house.

The movie ends with a cut-away to Rio De Janiero where Walter's father and his wife are buying a house from con-artists Estelle and her husband Carlos, played by John Van Dreelen, for a briefcase full of cash.

The film was a hit when first released, making nearly $40 million on a $10 million budget, though it received poor reviews from established critics.

The Money Pit was filmed in New York City and Lattingtown, Long Island, NY.